Edward G. Rendell was born in New York City on January 5, 1944. After serving in the U.S. Army, he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1965 and a law degree from Villanova Law School in 1968. Rendell was elected to two terms as district attorney for Philadelphia from 1978 to 1985. From 1992 through 1999, he served as mayor of Philadelphia. Under his leadership, the city won the hosting of the Republican National Convention in 2000, and Rendell served as the general chair of the Democratic National Committee the same year.

Rendell was elected Pennsylvania governor in 2002 and reelected in 2006, and served as chair of the National Governors Association in 2008-09. Among Rendell’s accomplishments as governor were adoption of a prescription drug plan for senior citizens and an overhaul of management policies that resulted in increased women- and minority-owned business involvement and significant procurement savings. Rendell was also successful in securing passage of legislation to legalize and tax slot machine parlors, with revenues being used to help reduce property taxes.